Clean Tone

Roundabout

Yes

BassProgressive rock1970s

Original Gear

BassRickenbacker 4001 (specifically RM1999 variant with stereo 'Ric‑O‑Sound' wiring)

AmpMarshall 100W Super Lead (JMP/Plexi) for treble; clean bass amp (e.g., Sunn or Marshall bass head) for low-end

PickupsStereo outputs (separate bridge and neck pickups)

Amp Settings

gain0

bass6.5

mid5.5

treble6

presence5

compression3.5

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Bi‑amped setup using stereo outputs; bridge pickup to guitar amp for treble, neck pickup to clean amp for bass; Rotosound roundwound strings; heavy Herco pick

Tone Character(5)

brighttreblyclankypiano‑like claritymidrange growl

Difficulty

The bassline demands fast, precise alternate picking with a strong rhythmic sense, and replicating the tone requires a complex bi‑amped setup.

Sources

How Yes bassist Chris Squire got his Roundabout bassline tone | Guitar World bass guitar from “roundabout” by yes | ToneDB Chris Squire (Wikipedia)

Create an account to adapt this tone to your gear

Create Free Account